Structure, magnetic and transport properties of epitaxial thin films of equiatomic CoFeMnGe quaternary Heusler alloy

TL;DR

This study reports the successful epitaxial growth of CoFeMnGe Heusler alloy thin films on MgO substrates, demonstrating their structural, magnetic, and transport properties, and confirming their potential for spintronics applications due to half-metallicity and high Curie temperature.

Contribution

It presents the first epitaxial growth and comprehensive characterization of CoFeMnGe thin films, highlighting their half-metallic nature and suitability for spintronics devices.

Findings

Thin films exhibit soft ferromagnetism at room temperature.

The films have a Curie temperature well above room temperature.

Transport measurements confirm half-metallic behavior.

Abstract

Future spintronics requires the realization of thin film of half-metallic ferromagnets having high Curie temperature and 100\% spin polarization at the Fermi level for potential spintronics applications. In this paper, we report the epitaxial thin films growth of half-metallic CoFeMnGe Heusler alloy on MgO (001) substrate using pulsed laser deposition system, along with the study of structural, magnetic and transport properties. The magnetic property measurements of the thin film suggest a soft ferromagnetic state at room temperature with an in-plane magnetic anisotropy and a Curie temperature well above the room temperature. Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) ratio and temperature dependent electrical resistivity measurements of the thin film indicate the compound to be half-metallic in nature and therefore suitable for the fabrications of spintronics devices.